Do you have emotions? Silly question. Of course you do. All kinds of emotions – some of which you can control, others not so much. It’s what makes you human, right? Anger, pain, grief, joy, heartbreak, desire, loathing and more. Your emotions are usually fuelled by passion. It’s hard to imagine passionless grief, or joy, though sometimes anger could appear that way, if it’s a cold, calculated emotion

How about God? Does he have emotions?
What kind of emotions do you think he has, if you’ve ever thought of such a thing?
A stern, unsmiling father-figure who never lets you have any fun?
An unfeeling black-robed judge handing down sentences?
A cold-hearted headmaster, punishing every misstep?
A stonefaced deity, far away in space?
Sadly many, even of those who profess belief in Jesus, have a distorted view of God. They read in the Bible about the love of God, but their idea of his love is that it is a stern, passionless thing, maybe even conditional upon our behaviour. People will relate more easily to Jesus, who was kind and blessed little children, but regard God as the unfeeling old testament deity of judgement and punishment. Those ideas are based on two things:
i. A false notion that God and Jesus are two different individuals, and
ii. A lack of knowledge of what the Bible as a whole has to say.
The truth is, that Jesus gave several clear statements as to the fact that “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” ({John 14:10) In other words, Jesus is God, in a body; and God is Jesus, reigning in heaven. And no, we can’t get our little brains around that, it has to be believed.

But let’s look at the second problem. The Bible has lots of pointers to God’s personality, and the kind of love he has for you.
The Bible tells us that God created us in His image. We know, from the Bible, that God is a spirit, he doesn’t have a body. The body of Jesus was specially made for him, so he could live among us. So, “in his image” can’t mean that we have God’s physical appearance. Therefore it must mean that we resemble him in other ways. And those ways must be mind, will and emotion.
Do you ever think of God as having emotions? Too many people attribute only one emotion to God, and that is anger. Sadly, one reason for this is the ignorance of the Bible, and it’s historical background. Another is the strait-laced, legalistic preaching of many church leaders. Interestingly, Jesus spoke more about hell than about heaven, yet he didn’t chase people away; the ordinary people flocked around him.

Let’s look at the emotions the Bible ascribes to God.God’s heart can be broken.
“God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart.” (Gen. 6:6)

God can be grieved.
“They (Israel) rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. (Isaiah 63:10)
“He (Jesus) was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. (Mark 3:5)
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit”. (Ephesians 4:30)

God feels loathing.
“For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a generation who err in their hearts and they do not regard my ways.” (Psalm 95:10)

God weeps
Jesus wept with compassionate pain in his heart:
“Jesus wept.” (Shed tears.) at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35) Why? After all, he knew he was about to raise him from the dead. But he wept with the sisters who had parted from their brother.

“O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often I have ached to embrace your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you wouldn’t let me!”
Jesus was deeply torn over Jerusalem, because of their sad history of rejecting the prophets God had sent to them, and the terrible future awaiting them under Roman siege. Can’t you hear the deep pain in his voice?

God does get angry
Furious, in fact. He is a jealous God – he says so himself. He will not share Israel with false gods. He will not share the people he created with satan. And he is very angry at all evil. Because evil hurts and destroys the people he made and loves.

And God loves.
With a passion whose intensity we will never understand. Yet his love is not based on emotion. It is built on His will. He wills to love us. And his will never changes. He is determined to have us for himself for eternity, to be with him. To that end, he came to earth, in a human body, to lay down his life for us in love, in a mystery we do not and cannot fathom, so that he would win us to himself.
And when we turn back to him, away from ourselves, he is overcome with joy!

In fact, he sings!
“The Lord … will calm you with his love, and delight you with his songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17).
Imagine being loved by a God like this – who understands completely your emotions, and to whom you can relate on the deepest level of your being. One whose love is steady, unending, based on his eternal will. One who enjoys your company, and in whose company you can be completely yourself, because his love will never reject you.

Want to try it?

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Are you afraid of dying? Some people never give it a thought. They have the classic “it won’t happen to me” attitude. Others don’t want to think about it, because they are so afraid of the very idea. Younger people don’t usually spend too much time thinking about dying, unless they have a close encounter with death. The adventurous ones, who do life-challenging things just for the fun of it, seem to laugh death in the face. I say “seem to”. But I believe that deep down, where no one can see, we are all afraid of death. We don’t enjoy the idea of our life suddenly coming to a stop. Yet whatever we think, death is the final curtain in this life, and there are no encores.

Much of the mystery of death concerns what happens afterwards. Do we go on existing somewhere else? We have an inborn sense that there must be something more; especially when one gets to the later years, it’s natural to wonder: Is this all there is? What about Heaven? Is there such a place?

Are you perhaps wondering why I’m bringing up such a gloomy subject when this blog is supposed to be about light touches from the LORD?
It’s because we have just come through the season when we remembered the most profound happening in the history of the human race – the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There is more historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, than there is for the existence of Julius Caesar!

A lot of research has been done on the subject of life after death. People of all ages have had experiences known as NDEs (near death experiences), including young children. Their descriptions of Heaven have dovetailed remarkably: a place of unbelievable beauty, fields of flowers, crystal clear rivers, intense colours unknown on earth, music beyond human ability to create. A place of happiness, peace and of indescribable love. They have told about meeting with family members who have died. They reported seeing beings of brilliant light. And some of them say they met Jesus Himself. And none of them wanted to come back to this life.
Others have returned and talked about a terrifying experience, a place of horror and pain, of attacks by fiendish beings; a place of darkness and abandonment. A place the Bible calls Hell.
This would agree with the Bible’s clear teaching that there is life after death.

So wouldn’t you say it’s a sensible thing to at least start thinking about that life, and where you might want to spend it?
By rising from the dead, Jesus shattered forever the power of death, and opened the way for us to live with God for eternity. He unlocked Heaven for us and gave us a future that is mindblowing. Because of this, there is no longer any need to fear death. It is simply a step through the door to the amazing life we were created for.

A baby in the womb could never understand if you tried to describe to him the life he would have after birth. He has gifts and talents in him that he has had no need or ability to use. He has certain body parts that will never be used in the womb, but are meant for use in the world he’s going to enter. Maybe he would feel some anxiety at the thought of having to go through the birth canal in order to enter that world. It’s the same with us. In the life we can live with God, we will live fully, as we were created to live. And we get to choose our destination.
To be certain of that future is not hard.
Admit your need of a Saviour. Accept for yourself the forgiveness He died to give you, when He took the punishment for your sin on the cross. Give control of your life to Him.
And He will give you a fresh start- you will be created new. And you’ll be able to truly laugh in the face of death.

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It’s no showpiece; nothing you’d ever see in gardening magazines, and it will never win any neighbourhood prizes. But it’s mine – I planted almost everything in it. There are two patches of grass, each the size of the proverbial postage stamp, separated by a rain channel. From time to time, a crew from the gardening services comes and tidies it up.

Being a bit older than I was when I started putting plants in, I can only cope with ground covers now; no more digging and carrying heavy pots around. But groundcovers have their own charm – starry little flowers that make a colourful sight. When I took over from my daughter, who lived here before me, there were already two frangipane trees, bearing their heavily scented flowers, one pink and one white. Come, I’ll show you around.

In one corner, a golden shower creeper hugs the fence, sporting bright orange, trumpetlike flowers. Next to it – right next to it- a tall tea tree vies for elbow room with a wild rosemary bush, that has grown much bigger and wider than the size featured on the bag when it first arrived. It gets regular cutbacks, but refuses to stay slim.

Alongside the rosemary is a slender hibiscus. It used to be two, but when they were young, on a whim, I twisted the trunks together, so now they are forever united. The little Siamese twin blooms generously and the double flowers are a delicate pink, with a soft, parchment-like look to the petals.

Beautiful.

Then comes the big, pinkblooming frangipane, scenting the air. I’ve hung a birdfeeder in it. Such pretty birds come into my garden to nibble, then sit on the fence and warble their thanks to the One who feeds the birds of the air – and I don’t mean me.

On the other side of Pink Frangipane is a skinny cumquat tree – the battlescarred warrior of the garden. From the time I planted it, years ago, when it was very young and small, it has been attacked by some really nasty pests. There were times it looked so dead, I almost threw it out. But, lo and behold, every time it would push out two or more little green leaves, and whisper: Wait. I’m still here; I’m not giving up. Well, now it has grown to over two metres, still skinny, with a wealth of healthy green foliage. The pests still haven’t completely gone, but their attempts are more half-hearted. There are no cumquats yet, but you know, I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.

There are also, between the groundcovers, a small rose geranium, and a fairly prolific gazania with flowers like jewels. There are a couple of rosemary bushes, one of which, sadly, has fallen over, snapped off near the root. No one knows why, but it might have been a trespasser vaulting the fence, which has happened before.

Right in the middle of one of the postage stamp halves, is my favourite – a little potato bush. The reason I like it so much, is that it always looks happy, constantly covered in tiny blue flowers; and even during it’s off season, it manages to come up with two or three blue offerings, as if to say: Smile, summer will soon be here.

In the centre of the other half of the postage stamp, is a relatively recent addition- a gardenia bush. They are quite tricky to raise, but so far, I’ve harvested three white blooms. And to my mind, the fragrance of gardenias leaves all the others way behind. So here’s hoping for great things from this newcomer.

Coming almost full circle, the white frangipane is next to the front door, handy for picking the waxy blooms to decorate and fragrance my house.

Lastly, a little way from that tree, between it and the creeper, is a huge Yucca plant, dwarfing everything else. This was not my idea. A friend of my daughter was moving house, and she brought the young plant in a pot, asking us to keep it for a short while. The short while became a long while and the next thing we knew, the Yucca roots had broken through the pot and gone into the ground; and over the following few years, it grew to the height of Jack’s beanstalk. I have no idea where it will stop, but what can I do?

I learn some good lessons from my garden. Lessons of perseverance in difficult times; to keep going even when I’m under attack, wherever it might come from. To freely send out the perfume of love and grace, without partiality. The potato bush never refuses to bloom because it doesn’t have a fragrance like the frangipane. The ground cover isn’t jealous because its flowers are not as showy as the gazanias. The wild rosemary doesn’t feel inferior because it’s not as tall as the tea tree, or as slender as the hibiscus. It’s content to be what it is. Each plant does what it was created to do, and together, they turn my garden into a delightful place. Each in their own way, they all show the glory of the Creator, who designed each and every one, with its unique and breath-taking beauty.

I love my little garden.

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We’ve heard a lot about freedom recently with the release of the Nelson Mandela movie. And for most people, the word is associated firstly with being set free from a literal prison. We also talk about being free from pain, or from debt or finding freedom from a stifling relationship. And often, we long to be free from the rat-race of life.

But let’s think about it. What does it mean to be free? I can take medication and be free from pain, only to have it come back later. I can slip back into debt if I’m not very careful with my budget. I can leave one stifling relationship only to end up in another one. I can find that I’ve taken the stress with me to life on the farm. And if I go on doing the same dumb things, I can land back behind literal bars.

So any freedom has a shelf life, unless we work hard to keep it operating.

But what if there is a freedom you don’t have to work at? A freedom that is guaranteed to last, without help from you. A freedom you only need to step into.

Maybe you’re thinking: I’m not in any kind of bondage, why would I need freedom? Sure, I have a bit of a debt problem, but I have a plan to work my way out of that. I’m not behind bars. I live a good life. I’ve just started a great new relationship…

What makes your heart begin to race and your palms get sweaty, for no apparent reason?

Why are you uncomfortable discussing or even contemplating the death of someone?

The one word, the one emotion, that answers all these questions is: fear. We are all in bondage to fear. And fear shows itself in many ways. Fear of rejection causes us to try to please people, sometimes even at the cost of our own convictions. There is also a deep-seated fear of judgement, often unrealised, that shows itself in a sense of self-condemnation. Something many of us struggle with is the fear of loneliness. And then there’s the biggie: the fear of death; we push it down, don’t want to think about it, distract ourselves with everything that would prevent us thinking about our mortality. These are some of the chains that hold us captive.

Are you telling yourself you can handle all your fears on your own? Deep down, you know you can’t.

The good news is, there is a way out, if we are willing to take it.

There is a freedom waiting for you that nothing and no one can take away. You can have freedom from self-condemnation with a totally clear conscience. You can be free of the fear of rejection through a love that accepts you completely. You need never be lonely again because there is a friend who has promised never to leave you. And the fear of death can be wiped out and replaced by an excitement that looks forward to life beyond the grave.

So, where is this freedom found?

Jesus said: You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Which truth was He talking about? Your truth? My truth? Religious truth? The “truth” we get from the media? The “truth” we get from professors and scientists? No, none of those “truths” is powerful enough to set us free – they don’t even agree with each other!

When Jesus was on “trial” before Pilate, the Roman governor asked Him a loaded question:

What is truth? He didn’t know he was standing face to face with truth.

Jesus said: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

THE Truth. There is only One. If true freedom is what you want, you need to get to know The Truth – Jesus Himself. You need to check out His life, death and resurrection in the Bible, so you get the facts of the story straight; and, at the same time, ask Him to give you His freedom, and surrender your life to Him. You will experience peace and freedom that, without Him, you can only dream of.

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Have you ever been in a situation that you’re hoping would change, but time goes by and nothing happens?

Or been waiting for something to work out, but nothing seems to make sense?

Maybe you’ve prayed intensely about a problem, needing a resolution, but the problem just gets worse.

It’s easy, in the disappointment, to get very discouraged; to feel God has let you down; to try and fix things yourself, or to just give up and give in to depression.

We try to work our way through by various means. We try to shift things around; maybe we write letters, or we call on friends for help. Perhaps we throw money at the situation; or we use our own common sense. Sometimes these methods work in the short term, but often they don’t. Usually, the results are less than satisfactory.

There’s an example in the Bible about a couple who used what, at the time, seemed like good common sense, but who regretted it later. Abraham and Sarah had a promise from God that they would have a son and heir. The promise seemed, on the surface, ludicrous, considering they were way, way past bearing children. And after the promise was given, they waited year in and year out, not getting any younger. So one day, they decided to look at the facts on the ground, and do the sensible thing. Abraham slept with Sarah’s maid Hagar, at Sarah’s suggestion, and she produced a son. Great rejoicing, because in their culture, that made the baby officially Sarah’s. However, God let them know that, actually, this hadn’t been His plan, and the baby He was going to send had not yet arrived. Sadly, their attempt to help God went on to cause many problems. Which always happens when we decide to stop waiting for Him.

Sometimes we get tired of waiting. Bear in mind, Abraham and Sarah had to wait for 25 years – he was 100 and Sarah 99- before the promised baby arrived. One can understand some of their frustration. Be careful of frustration, as well as its cousin, impatience; it almost always leads to action that brings regret. Maybe you sometimes think, why should I ask God for help in this situation? I can manage it myself. The answer is: Because we have an invitation from the Creator of the universe – which, one assumes, took a fair amount of wisdom, and maybe genius, to create – to ask Him for wisdom. And get this: He says He gives wisdom to anyone who asks, anyone, and He will never complain about your asking, or make you feel a fool. In fact, He promises to give wisdom generously. All you need to do is ask, believe He gives it, then move. He will lead you the right way.

Sometimes it will involve waiting for things to happen. So wait. Don’t run ahead and try to help Him out. It can be a short wait, or it can take a lot longer than you think. But it will be worth the wait.

Oh, and by the way, to be able to properly benefit from the asking, you really need to know God personally. And that involves another free invitation from Him. Again, you just need to ask Him. He has already taken care of the things in your life that come between you and Him. Believe that He has done so, thank Him, and then give Him an invitation, into your heart.

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No, I’m not an atheist. Thankfully. Life has no meaning if you take God out of it.

No, that’s not the reason.

It’s because I don’t care for its pagan roots. I believe there’s enough evidence from research that’s been done into history to undergird the belief that Jesus was born during the Biblical Feast of Tabernacles. Which might mean the angel Gabriel would have visited Mary and she would have conceived the Son of God around the time people now celebrate His birth. Which is interesting.

The early Gentile church, in an effort to separate itself from the Jewish side, and draw in more paying members, decided to hook a pagan festival into its ecclesiastical practices. Hence Christmas is celebrated on the festival of a pagan god. Which brief tale explains to you why I don’t celebrate Christmas.

Having said that, let me remind you that I did say, at the start, that I don’t celebrate Christmas – per se. Which should tell you there’s a “but” in there. So here’s the “but”.

The facts (of history) are: Jesus, the Son of God, Who came into the world to save it from itself, was born in Bethlehem. His mother’s name was Mary and His foster father was Joseph. And hosts of angels announced His birth to a bunch of shepherds, who were tending the flocks possibly being raised for Temple sacrifices. That joyful heavenly singing, probably by a few million angels, must have been some celebration! He was laid in a manger, though we’re not told it was in a stable. A while later, wise men from the east did come looking for Him, following a star. They came to worship Him and bring gifts. We are not told how many wise men there were.

All this is reason for rejoicing and celebrating, wouldn’t you say?

Now, there are some in my family who feel as I do, and who don’t have anything to do with Christmas. But there are others who do the whole thing, trees, decorations, gifts, festive meal. These are all close family members. So what do I do?

I’ll tell you what my husband and I do.

Our family is scattered globally, but over the years, some of them have lived, and do live, close by. So, we go to their homes on the 25th, eat a simple festive meal, and enjoy their celebration with them.

In our own home, we don’t have a tree, or decorations. We do have a little nativity set, which we put out at the Feast of Tabernacles, then just leave out until Christmas.

All of which might sound to some of you like compromising our convictions. We don’t see it that way, because we feel that the reason for the celebration, Jesus Himself, knows our hearts. Our family don’t expect that we will join them. They leave the option to us. So we’re not doing it to “keep the peace”. We simply want to live in grace with those we love.

So, to all of you who love that Baby, Who is Lord of all, and celebrate His coming at this time, Merry Christmas!

And if you don’t know or love Him yet, my hope is that, as you celebrate, you will discover Him for Who He really is.